Bridge Bon Appétit, the latest addition to Hubert, opens tonight

Author: Emma Breheny
Photography: Rob Shaw

12:00AM, Sep 6, 2017

The bridge becomes a casual space for cocktails, aperitif
and lighter fare.

The final jewel in the Hubert crown, Bridge Bon Appétit adds a new
space and another menu to the Swillhouse Group's sprawling French
funhouse in Sydney's CBD. Occupying, you guessed it, the mezzanine
bridge above Hubert's main dining room, the new bar and dining
space is built for those in-between moments: the after-work drink
that turns into dinner or a nightcap when you're not quite ready to
call time.

Co-owner Anton Forte says that making full use of the mezzanine
was always part of the grand plan. Doing the design and fit-out
themselves, refining the food offer, and getting the main
restaurant off the ground pushed out the project timeline. But
Bridge isn't just an add-on to the restaurant (although that
wouldn't be unwelcome). The food isn't straight Gallic, the wine
list veers away from tradition, and the vibe is less all-in luxe
and more let's-see-where-the-night-takes-us.

Hubert sous-chef James MacDonald is behind the menu menu -
with the same graphic Allie Webb illustrations as the main dining
room - covering a lot of ground in the space of 11 dishes. The
veal tartare is accompanied by saltbush, the petit roe boats are
ferrying uni, avruga, and salmon and cod roe, native succulents
show up in a vinaigrette with cured fish. But this is still Hubert:
there's a veal tongue pot-au-feu, saucisson sec with pickled
vegetables and, of course, oysters. The idea is to offer a looser
interpretation of the restaurant menu, not divorce from it
entirely.

Andy Tyson and James Irvine are taking care of drinks, with a
list that includes an extensive range of amari (perfect for all
those bar bites) and wines with attitude. Chile and the Czech
Republic are represented alongside plenty of French and Italian
drops, and a smattering of quality Australian makers from Ochota
Barrels to Latta. Beers skew hearty and full-flavoured, while
cocktails make some unlikely moves: a Spritz, for instance, is
built around mandarin-infused vermouth, while Cognac is teamed with
chocolate and truffled duck egg.

With 50 seats, Bridge is more intimate than downstairs. Fringed
lamps make natural screens between groups seated on bentwood stools
at the two bars, every spot offering a bird's eye view of the
action in the restaurant proper below.

"You can look down and feel the buzz of the restaurant," says
Forte. "It's a whole new experience of the place."

With more choices come tough decisions, but that's what repeat
visits are for.